Vitamin E Intake Can Avoid Childhood Asthma

Graham Devereux, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, and seven associates assessed maternal nutrient and respiratory status in 1,253 mothers and children during a five-year period. According to the authors, children born to mothers from the lowest quintile of vitamin E intake were over five times more likely to manifest early persistent asthma than children whose mothers were in the highest quintile.

"Our findings suggest that vitamin E has a dual effect on lung function and airway inflammation and that the effects could change at differing periods of prenatal and early life," said Dr. Devereux. "Lung function was associated with early vitamin E exposure independent of atopy, whereas allergic airway inflammation was associated with vitamin E exposure in later pregnancy."

However, the researchers also noted that the airways are fully developed by 16 weeks after conception and, consequently, vitamin E exposure in early pregnancy may be more likely to influence airway function than exposure later in pregnancy. "The present study suggests that children's own nutrient intake at the age of five does not modify the associations between maternal nutrient intake and respiratory outcomes in the children," said Dr. Devereux.

The study cited vegetable oils (sunflower, rapeseed and corn), margarine, wheat germ, nuts and sunflower seeds as major food sources of vitamin E for mothers in the U.K. “The results of the present study suggest that dietary modification or supplementation during pregnancy to reduce the likelihood of childhood asthma warrants further investigation," said Dr. Devereux.

The researchers added that vitamin E supplementation in adults with established asthma has not been shown to be of clinical benefit.